Bio:

House V’neef is the most subtle and non-confrontational of all the Great Houses. They use a combination of wits, charisma, and natural charm to get by. Their ventures are into food and wine and animal breeding. They are strict about their own breeding and diets. They are heavily wood aspected and the most pure of the lot. They are not especially greedy or decadent. In fact, they are the most strict of all the Great Houses when it comes to regimen that their Exalts follow.

Secretly, House V’neef is concerned with one main thing: Survival and Breeding. It’s known, if not a widespread fact that V’neef herself was conceived in an experiment in Dragon Blooded purity. The Empress herself conceived this experiment and selected the most powerful and well-bred Wood Aspected Terrestrial she could find. It was many years after she found him that he became her husband. He was secretly subjected to a strict diet, a punishing regimen and some high Essence Terrestrial Charms. After V’neef herself was born no one knows what happened to him or where he is. Someone made sure of that.

The Empress selected V’neef’s husband from what she disgustedly referred to the only acceptable output of the remnants of a failed experiment. This particular Cynis was of prime breeding and had not tarnished his blood with the decadent lifestyle of the Cynis household. She then informed her daugther of her mission. She was to bring about a new bloodline of Dragon Blooded, one with the Legendary Breeding found in the High First Age. It was the Aspect of Wood, so connected with life that was found to have this trait more often. That was why V’neef and her husband were selected that way.

It was for this mission that the Empress herself made V’neef into a Great House as soon as V’neef’s first child Exalted. It was also for this mission that the Empress made sure that House V’neef was cared for, in fact too well cared for in the opinions of the other Great Houses. It was for this reason that the coat of arms of House V’neef is a vine with many ripe grapes. People forget that the symbol was used long before House V’neef even ventured into wine making. Well before the Empress disappeared, she handed over to her daughter, various texts and memory crystals detailing esoteric lore from the First Age, including the High Essence Charms
that were used to improve Breeding and the geomantic subtleties required for a Dragon’s Nest.

V’neef does everything in her power to see the dream come into fruition. She drives innovation, renovation, commerce, and stability in the House. She uses this to support the growing family. So far she has done well.

“Family First” (Loyalty)
“We will make it through this!” (Survival)
“Well, we can wait.” (Young, Wait and See Attitude, Patient)
“I’m sure we can come up with a favorable compromise.” (Non-confrontational)

V’neef
Grandmother of all

V’neef herself is fully dedicated to her mission. That’s why she has a very hands-on approach in running her House. As she grows in age and pussiance, she realizes that her family is starting to grow beyond her direct control. She’s looking toward her children
to continue the administrative details while she turns more attention to the knowledge passed on by her mother. She has not conceived any new children as of yet because it will interfere with her refining her Essence. She must do so to master the higher Essence Charms that her mother told her about.

She sees her grandson Genji as an anomaly. A quirk in the experiment gone wrong. He is however, a brilliant anomaly, even outstripping his Exalted peers. She has decided to put him to good use. She does not know that he is a Celestial Exalt, an Anathema of the highest order and that his Exaltation would have burned away any possibility of him becoming a Dragon Blooded. She finds it strange that by his elemental markings that show in his hair and skin he should be well above average in Breeding.

She does know however that he keeps a retinue of Dragon Blooded with him at all times. How he manages to make them serve him she has no idea but none of them have the above average Breeding she requires to take them under her wing. She hopes he’ll soon impregnate all of them and see if the children will Exalt.

She is worried about the war and what it means to her mission. She has ordered Genji to amass wealth and knowledge, and to stop funneling much of it towards their holdings in the Blessed Isle. She is looking for an alternative storage facility and safe house in case her family has to move out. She has already asked Aliset for ideas.

“Protect the Family”
“Patience is a virtue. It’s quite similar to Temperance actually.”
“There is no need to fight. Everything can be settled on the table.”
“I’m calling in a favor.”

Vneef Aliset
Cloister of Wisdom
Aliset is the youngest and most eligible of V’neef’s children. While initially engaged to a Tepet of prime breeding his untimely death at the hands of the Bull of the North put a stop to all negotiations. V’neef herself believes in survival and her children running off to
war hardly seems the right way to go about doing it.

Aliset spends her time in the far East. A graduate of the Cloister of Wisdom, she has achieved great spiritual enlightenment and has been given a mission of her own. She is to go out to the East and search for and study any remnants of Genesis Technology especially concerning anagethics and breeding. She has already found a suitable Wood Aspected Manse, and geomantically altered it to the designs her mother specified. They have found their Dragon’s Nest.

Her mother’s concerns relayed to her, Aliset believes it will be an adequate safe house once some of the jungle around it has been cleared. With a little time and labor she could build a small town around the Manse. Security is her only problem, now that things seem to be in great upheaval around the East and the fact that the Exalted Deliberative has established itself in Denandsor worries her.

Genji is a very useful nephew to her. While she knows it’s much too late, she still prays to the Immaculate Dragons to grace him with an Exaltation. If she does find out however, that he is a Solar Exalt, there will be great anguish and no quarter from her. She truly believes the Anathema are evil.

“No compromise for the wicked!”
“A favor for a favor.”
“Care for the family. It must be kept safe.”
“I’m single, eligible, and I enjoy it!”

V’neef Serata
Winglord of the Merchant Fleet
Serata is one of the youngest of V’neef’s Exalted Grandchildren. He seeks to prove himself to the family in both the military and commerce. He graduated from the House of Bells with honors and quickly transferred to the new V’neef Merchant Fleet, he rose in rank quickly by dint of actual merit rather than merely using his uncle, Ririon as a connection or patron. Pragmatic to a fault, he almost inhumanly pursues the vested interest of the house and has been most effective and efficient in making sure trade from the East and some parts of the Scavenger Lands is both profitable and safe.

Already though of as a rival of the Wood Fleet, Serata’s subordinates look up to their Winglord, and the Great House itself sees him maturing to an excellent military asset. V’neef herself knows that he is of fine breeding and wants to get him mated while he is very young as he has the potential and purity of line to father many Exalts. This is as long as he does not get himself killed first.

The war has him hugging the coastlines of the Blessed Isle and he has little time for idle musing. However, he would be extremely horrified though probably not lose the practical admiration he already has for Genji if he does find out that Genji is an Anathema.

“Protect the Family, Protect Yourself”
“That is the most efficient way to do it.”
“Results are what matter.”
“Do not lose sight of the end in mind.”

V’neef Ririon
Admiral of the Merchant Fleet
The eldest adopted son of V’neef, a Wood Aspect of exceptional breeding, Ririon has shown his gratitude to his house by rising from the ranks to become Admiral of the Merchant Navy after the removal of the former Peleps Admiral. He is a man who knows what he knows and knows what he does not know. An incredible sailor, highly intelligent, innovative, and thorough, Ririon knows how to best make use of his gifts and the gifts of others. He has no qualms listening to the suggestions of his younger cousins and nephews especially when it comes to business, war, and tactics.

He truly loves his adoptive family, wife, and children, and he makes sure to spend enough time with them. He is loyal to them and will protect them and their interest to the best of his abilities.

Ririon defers even to un-Exalted Scions like Genji when it comes to business. So far, everything Genji has done has only brought more financial stability to the family. He finds it rather sad that Genji did not Exalt into a Dragon Blooded. It would mean that his service to the family would be cut short by dint of a mortal’s lifespan and Ririon knows not who can replace him.
Should he find out however Genji’s Exalted status, he would be inexplicably torn between admiration and disgust.

“I defer to the expert”
“Leave no stone unturned! Leave nothing unchecked!”
“All that is needed is a little creative thinking.”
“What I do, I do for the House.”

V’neef Risa
Lt. of the Bronze Tigers
Referred to as the Twice Lost Egg or that damnable girl depending on who you ask, Risa is a torn soul. Truly grateful to the family that adopted her and educated her, she strove to do her best and achieved much in the military despite some protestations from the family. She graduated with honors from the House of Bells hoping to become a paragon of what she believed Dragon Blooded were supposed to be doing.

Her first posting in Greyfalls however, was a disaster as intead of the best and the brightest she was surrounded by fools and slackers. Her own Winglord was nothing more than a lecherous sop. He saw great opportunity to be able to return home hunting down an Anathema invader but it only proved his defeat and his inglorious death. The Solar, Dace, however saw something different in Risa and said that he could use her. She’s since not turned back. She now commands his best and brightest and supports him in full.

She would be extremely torn once more if she were to meet the Exalted Genji in his full Solar power.

“I am truly grateful to my family.”
“I will protect Captain Dace and his interests.”
“We are supposed to fight monsters and make Creation a better place, that is our duty.”
“No looking back – Keep Moving Forward”